Cory Schneider
| birth_place = Marblehead, Massachusetts | draft = 26th overall | draft_year = 2004 | draft_team = Vancouver Canucks | career_start = 2007 }} Cory Schneider (born Cory Franklin Schneider on March 18, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Cory was selected in the first round (26th overall) by the Canucks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft, he began a three-year tenure with the Boston College Eagles, winning two Lamoriello Trophies as Hockey East champions and making two NCAA Final appearances during his college career. Cory turned professional with Vancouver's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose in 2007 and was named the league's Goaltender of the Year following his second season. After three seasons with the Moose, he became the Canucks' full-time backup in 2010–11. In Cory's first full season with the Canucks, he won the William M. Jennings Trophy with Roberto Luongo for establishing the best team goals against average (GAA) in the NHL. The following campaign, he set Canucks records for best GAA and save percentage in a single season with 1.96 and .937 marks, respectively. At the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Cory was traded to the New Jersey Devils for the 9th overall selection. Internationally, Cory has represented the United States at various junior levels. Early in his career, he won gold and silver medals at the 2003 U-18 Junior World Cup and 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships respectively. He later competed in the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Championships, finishing in fourth with the United States each time. Due to his Swiss ancestry, Cory also holds a Swiss citizenship. Playing Career High School & USNTDP Career (2000-2004) Cory played with Marblehead High School in his freshman year before moving to Phillips Academy because of their more prestigious hockey team. In his senior year with the school, he was named the team captain. Cory posted 17 wins and 4 losses with a .960 save percentage, while leading Phillips Academy to the New England Prep School semifinals. He was a two-time All-New England selection in his high school career with Phillips Academy. During his senior year, Cory also joined the United States National Team Development Program. He appeared in 10 games with the under-18 club and two games in North American Hockey League play. Going into the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Cory was the second-ranked American goaltender behind Al Montoya and seventh North American goaltender overall by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He was selected in the first round (26th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks. Boston College (2004-2007) With the option of joining the major junior ranks in Canada or staying in the United States to play college hockey, Cory prioritized getting an education and committed to the Boston College Eagles. He had also considered Harvard and Cornell. Boston College head coach Jerry York had considered delaying his debut for another season and have him play Junior A in the United States Hockey League. However, when forward Adam Pineault left Boston College to play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, a scholarship was made available and York decided to keep Cory on the roster. Cory made 23 saves in his college debut, a 3–2 win against the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks. Then he was chosen as the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on October 19, 2004. Cory later notched his first college shutout against the Yale Bulldogs on January 11, 2005. The following month, Cory was sidelined for three weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament of his left knee during a game against the Harvard Crimson on February 14, 2005. Splitting the goaltending duties with senior Matti Kaltiainen, he appeared in 18 games with a 1.90 goals against average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage while finishing with a record of 13 wins, 1 loss and 4 ties. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and received Boston College's Bernie Burke Outstanding Freshman Award. By the playoffs, York made Cory his starting goaltender over Kaltiainen. He went on to backstop Boston College to a record-setting sixth Lamoriello Trophy in team history as Hockey East champions. Cory made 39 saves in a double-overtime semifinal win against the Maine Black Bears, before a 26-save performance in Boston's 3–1 final win against the New Hampshire Wildcats. Cory gained Hockey East Rookie of the Week accolades on March 21, 2005, for his semifinal and final wins and was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts. Advancing to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Boston College lost their regional final by a 6–3 score to the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. In Cory's sophomore season, he posted a college career-high .929 save percentage and two team records of eight shutouts and 1,088 saves. He posted 242:19 consecutive shutout minutes in the month of January, not allowing a goal for more than 11 periods. His streak was broken on January 27, 2006 in a game against Boston University. Cory 1.96 GAA was first among goaltenders in conference play, earning him the Hockey East Goaltending Award (his overall GAA including inter-conference play was 2.11). Cory was named to the Hockey East Second All-Conference Team and was a co-recipient with teammate Chris Collins for both the Hockey East Three Stars Award and Boston College MVP. At the 2006 Beanpot, Cory received the Eberly Trophy as the tournament's best goaltender with a .924 save percentage. His 24 wins in 39 regular season appearances helped Boston College to a successful regular season. In the playoffs, they failed to defend their Hockey East championship, losing to the Boston University Terriers in the final. Qualifying for the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Boston College met Boston University again in the regional final. Shutting the Terriers out to advance to the Frozen Four, Cory was named the Northeastern Regional Tournament MVP. Boston College then defeated North Dakota in the semifinal before losing the national championship to the Wisconsin Badgers 2–1. In his third season with Boston College, Cory recorded a college career-high 29 wins in 42 games, along with a 2.15 GAA and .925 save percentage. Cory led the Eagles to their second Lamoirello Trophy in three years, defeating New Hampshire by a 5–2 score in the final. He made his second consecutive appearance in the NCAA final, but lost to the Michigan State Spartans. Following his third college season, Cory chose to forgo his senior year to turn professional. He left Boston College with a career record of 65 wins, 25 losses and 7 ties in 97 games, as well as a college career mark of 15 shutouts. Manitoba Moose (2007-2010) On July 3, 2007, Cory signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He was regarded as the Canucks' third-string goalie behind Roberto Luongo and the newly acquired backup Curtis Sanford. Following his first NHL training camp, he was assigned to the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL). After a shaky start to the 2007–08 season (3-7-0 record, 3.69 GAA and .872 save percentage in 11 games), Cory was privately called out by head coach Scott Arniel in mid-December after being pulled the previous game. In recalling the meeting, Cory has commented that "Arniel was one of the first guys to...tell me I wasn't good enough, something that I hadn't really heard a lot growing up. Sometimes it's something you need to hear." From that point on, Cory emerged as Manitoba's starting goalie over fellow Canucks prospect Drew MacIntyre and was named the AHL Rookie of the Month for March. Cory finished the season with a 21-12-2 record, 2.28 GAA and .916 save percentage. Although the Moose were eliminated in the first round by the Syracuse Crunch, he had an impressive playoffs, recording a 1.92 GAA and .938 save percentage over six games. Going into training camp for the 2008–09 season, Cory was expected to compete for the Canucks' backup position with Sanford, who had been re-signed in the off-season. He was assigned to the Moose for a second consecutive season where he continued as the minor league team's starting goalie. Cory received his first NHL call-up from Manitoba on November 22, 2008, following an injury to Luongo. At the time of his call-up, he was leading the AHL in both wins and GAA in addition to establishing a team record with 10 straight wins. After sitting on the bench as Sanford's backup for two games, Cory made his first NHL appearance and start on November 29, 2008 against the Calgary Flames, making 28 saves in a 3–1 loss. He subsequently recorded his first NHL win in a 16-save, 2–1 victory against the Minnesota Wild on December 5th. After appearing in eight games for the Canucks, goaltender Jason LaBarbera was acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings and Cory was sent back to the Moose on January 5, 2009. During his time in Vancouver, he had been named AHL Goalie of the Month for November. Upon returning to Manitoba, he extended his record-setting win streak to 13 games. Cory was also chosen as the starting goalie for PlanetUSA for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic. Cory was named Top Goaltender in the Skills Competition, then he helped PlanetUSA to a 15–11 win over the Canadian All-Stars. Near the end of the season, Cory was chosen as AHL Player of the Week on March 30, 2009 after allowing five goals in three starts. He completed the campaign with team records of 28 wins, 2.04 GAA and .928 save percentage. Additionally the league-leader in GAA and save percentage, Cory was awarded the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as AHL goaltender of the year. Cory also received the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the goaltender on the team with the lowest goals against. His award-winning campaign helped the Moose to the best regular season record in the league. In the proceeding 2009 playoffs, Cory backstopped the Moose to the Calder Cup Finals, losing the championship in six games to the Hershey Bears. He finished the playoffs with a 2.15 GAA and .922 save percentage in 22 games. In September of 2009, Vancouver re-signed Luongo to a 12-year extension. As such, it was widely speculated that Cory would inevitably be traded. Despite Cory's success in the AHL, his chances of competing for a starting position with the Canucks were seen as unlikely by the media due to Luongo's prominence on the team. Regardless, Cory publicly maintained he was unfazed by his position on the Canucks' depth chart and that he was focused on competing with the newly acquired Andrew Raycroft for the Canucks' backup position in 2009–10. However, he was sent back to the Moose out of training camp. Less than a month into the season, he received his second NHL call-up with the Canucks to back up Raycroft after Luongo was sidelined with a rib fracture on October 28, 2009. Cory remained with the Canucks for nearly two weeks, earning one start against the Dallas Stars on November 6th stopping 45 shots in a 2–1 loss. He was returned to the Moose on November 10th Despite being the reigning goaltender of the year in the AHL and having a comparable season in 2009–10, Cory was not named to PlanetUSA for the 2010 AHL All-Star Game. The non-selection drew public criticism from Moose head coach Arniel. Amidst a mediocre season as a team, Cory posted a 2.51 GAA and .919 save percentage and topped his previous team record of wins in a season with 35 in 60 games. During the campaign, he also surpassed Alex Auld on the franchise's all-time wins and games played list, finishing with 84 and 136, respectively. Manitoba qualified for the 2010 playoffs with the final and eighth seed in the Western Conference. Matching up against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the opening round, they were eliminated in six games. Cory recorded a 3.12 GAA and .905 save percentage in the losing effort. Vancouver Canucks (2010-2013) On June 2, 2010, Cory signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks. Assistant general manager Lawrence Gilman asserted that the new deal should establish him as Luongo's backup and garner more exposure to potentially facilitate a trade to another NHL team. On October 18, 2010, Cory made his first start of the 2010–11 season against the Carolina Hurricanes. He stopped 32 shots in a 5–1 win, marking his first NHL victory since December 14, 2008. Later in the season, he recorded his first NHL shutout, stopping 26 shots in a 3–0 win against the Anaheim Ducks on March 6, 2011. Nearing the end of the regular season, the Canucks were leading the league in team GAA, putting Luongo and Cory in contention for the William M. Jennings Trophy. However, with a week remaining in the regular season, Cory was two appearances short of the 25-game minimum to qualify for the Jennings (had he not reached the requirement, Luongo would have been awarded the trophy by himself). While head coach Alain Vigneault initially dismissed the notion of playing Cory for the sole purpose of sharing the award with Luongo, he sent him in relief of Luongo with 28 seconds remaining in the third-last game of the season, a 2–0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers for Cory's 24th appearance. Two games later (the Canucks' last contest of the regular season), he was given the start against the Calgary Flames. Needing to allow seven goals or fewer to secure the Jennings, he helped Vancouver to a 3–2 overtime win. It marked the first time in the trophy's history that it was awarded to Canucks goaltenders. Luongo and Cory's combined GAA of 2.20 was 0.10 better than the Boston Bruins's second-place goaltending tandem of Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Cory completed his NHL rookie season with a 2.23 GAA and .929 save percentage in 25 games (22 starts), as well as a 16-4-2 record. His GAA tied for fourth in the league while his save percentage ranked third and set a single-season Canucks record. Cory made his NHL playoff debut in Game 4 of the opening round against the Chicago Blackhawks. With the Canucks down 6–1, Luongo was pulled in favour of Cory in the third period. He allowed one goal on seven shots, as the Blackhawks went on to win the game 7–2. After Luongo was pulled again in Game 5, Cory was chosen to start for Game 6. He allowed three goals on 20 shots. He left the game in the third period after suffering cramps during a failed attempt to stop a penalty shot from Michael Frolik. The Canucks went on to lose the contest 4–3 in overtime, but won the following Game 7 with Luongo in net to advance to the second round. The Canucks would advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. Cory made an appearance in Game 6, replacing Luongo in the first period after he gave up three goals. He allowed two goals in relief for the remainder of the game as the Canucks went on to lose the contest. With Cory on the bench, Vancouver then lost Game 7 at home. Remaining as Luongo's backup for the start of the 2011–12 season, Cory's playing time was expanded when Luongo suffered an injury in mid-November 2011. Despite Luongo's return to the lineup after missing two games, he continued to earn starts due to his performance. On November 28, 2011, Cory was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week after recording three wins in as many contests, a span that included back-to-back shutouts (on November 23, 2011 against the Colorado Avalanche and November 25 against the Phoenix Coyotes). Cory finished his second full NHL season with improved numbers. Of the 33 games he played, he started 28 and compiled 20 wins and 9 losses. His 1.96 GAA and .937 save percentage over 33 games ranked third and second in the league, respectively while also setting Canucks team records. His GAA topped the 2.11 mark Luongo had set in 2010–11 while his save percentage bettered the .929 he had achieved, also in the previous season. The latter team record also ranked as the fourth-best ever recorded in the NHL. During the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Cory supplanted Luongo as the team's playoff goalie. After Vancouver lost their first two games against the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, Vigneault started Schneider. Despite losing game three, he started for the remainder of the series, which Los Angeles won four-games-to-one. In three games, Cory recorded a 1.31 GAA and .960 save percentage. Vigneault's decision led many in the media to believe that he would retain the role the following season, while Luongo would be traded. Although Luongo's contract included a no-trade clause, he told reporters following the Canucks' defeat to the Kings that he would waive it if the team asked him to. During the off season, Cory and the Canucks agreed to a three-year contract worth $12 million. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played with Swiss team HC Ambrì-Piotta of National League A. He played in eight games and recorded a .914 save percentage. Returning to Vancouver as NHL play resumed, Cory appeared in 30 games for the Canucks and posted a 17–9–4 record and was one of five goaltenders to tie for the league lead with five shutouts. Cory appeared in two playoff games (both losses) as the Canucks were swept out of the first round by the San Jose Sharks. New Jersey Devils (2013-current) The Canucks spent a full year attempting to trade Luongo and his contract before conceding that no team was willing to meet their demands. Instead, they agreed to trade Cory to the New Jersey Devils. The deal (which was completed on June 30, 2013) at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft saw the ninth overall selection (Bo Horvat) sent to Vancouver. Cory described the trade as "shocking," adding that after several seasons of expecting to be traded, he had finally begun to believe he would stay in Vancouver. He played his first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in a 3-0 loss. Career Statistics Playoff Statistics International Statistics Awards & Achievements High School Hockey Awards *John Carlton Memorial Trophy (athletic and academic achievement, Massachusetts high school senior; awarded by the Boston Bruins) (2004) College Hockey Awards *All-Hockey East Rookie Team (2004–05) *Bernie Burke Outstanding Freshman Award (Boston College) (2005) *HE Defensive Player of the Week (October 19, 2005) *HE All-Tournament Team (2005) *HE Rookie of the Week (March 21, 2005) *Eberly Trophy (Beanpot's best goalie) (2006) *HE Goalie of the Month (March 2006) *AHCA All-American First Team (2006) *HE Goaltending Award (lowest GAA in league play) (2006) *All-Hockey East Second Team (2005–06) *Norman F. Dailey Memorial Award (Boston College MVP) (2006) (co-winner with Chris Collins) *NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament MVP (2006) AHL Awards *Rookie of the Month (March 2008) *Goalie of the Month (November 2008) *All-Star Classic appearance (2009 (starter) *Player of the Week (March 22–29, 2009) *Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (Goaltender of the Year) (2009) *Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award (Goaltender(s) of the team with the lowest goals against) (2009) International Hockey Awards *U18 Junior World Cup gold medal (United States) (2003) *IIHF U18 silver medal (United States) (2004) *Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year (awarded by USA Hockey) (2004) *Player of the Game vs. Switzerland, preliminary (2006) and vs. Czech Republic, quarterfinal (2006) NHL Awards *William M. Jennings Trophy (shared with Roberto Luongo) (2011) Records Boston College *Single-season shutouts: 8 (2005–06) *Single-season saves: 1,088 (2005–06) *All-time shutouts: 15 (2004–07) Manitoba Moose *Consecutive wins: 13 (2008–09) *Single-season GAA: 2.04 (2008–09) *Single-season save percentage: .928 (2008–09) *Single-season wins: 35 (2009–10) *Career wins: 84 (2007–10) *Career games played: 136 (2007–10) International Play United States}} Cory competed for the United States at the 2003 U-18 Junior World Cup, held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia. He helped the club go undefeated in five games, en route to the country's first gold medal in the history of the tournament. Sharing goaltending duties with Ian Keserich over the course of the tournament, Cory was given the start for the gold medal game against Russia, turning aside 32 shots for the 3–2 win. Next, Cory appeared for the United States at the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus. He recorded the third-best GAA (1.71) and second-best save percentage (.929) of the tournament en route to a silver medal. The United States were defeated in the gold medal game by Russia 3–2. He was later named the David Peterson Goalie of the Year by USA Hockey, having led them to two medals in the 2003–04 season. In August of 2004, Cory participated in the U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Several months later, he debuted at the under-20 level at the 2005 World Junior Championships, hosted by the United States in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Playing backup to Al Montoya, Cory was given the start for a preliminary game against Belarus. After just over a period of play, Cory was pulled for allowing three goals on eight shots. The United States lost the game 5–3 in Schneider's only tournament appearance. After losing to Russia 7–2 in the semifinal, the United States lost the bronze medal game 3–2 to the Czech Republic in overtime. After attending the U.S.'s summer evaluation camp for a second straight year in Lake Placid, New York, Cory was given the starting position for the 2006 World Junior Championships in British Columbia, Canada. He was named the United States' player of the game in their third match of the preliminary round, a 2–2 tie against Switzerland. Cory made 22 saves. Cory earned his second player of the game selection in the quarterfinal, stopping 30 shots in a 2–1 win against the Czech Republic. The United States were then eliminated in the semifinal by Russia before losing the bronze medal game to Finland. He appeared in six games total with a 2.67 GAA and .912 save percentage, fifth among tournament goaltenders. Cory's first experience with the men's senior team came in 2007 when he was among the first eighteen players named to the United States' team for the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Russia. Despite being named to the team, Cory did not play in any games. Instead, he serving as the team's third goaltender behind John Grahame and Jason Bacashihua. Playing Style Cory plays in the butterfly style of goaltending, dropping to his knees with his skates pointing outwards and his pads meeting in the middle in order to cover the bottom portion of the net. He honed the style with goaltending consultant Brian Daccord, beginning at 15 years old. After joining the Canucks as a backup in 2010–11, Cory began working with the team goaltending coach Roland Melanson, who encouraged him to play shallower in his crease. He adopted the style which required him to be more athletic on first shots, but better prepared him for rebounds and cross-crease plays. His strengths are his size and athleticism. Cory's coach with the Moose, Scott Arniel has also heralded his ability to get into position ahead of time, anticipating plays. Personal Life Cory's parents are Susan and Richard Schneider. He has an older brother named Geoff. Cory started playing hockey when he was around six years old, trying out for the same team as his older brother. He didn't become a regular goaltender until he was 11 years old because the Marblehead Youth Hockey teams he played with at earlier ages rotated the position. He started training with his goalie coach Brian Daccord (who now owns Stop It Goaltending which is a company that Cory owns a small percentage of) when he was 15 years old. Growing up, Cory looked up to Mike Richter of the New York Rangers for being a successful American goaltender. Paying homage to Richter, he chose to wear the jersey number 35. Cory attended Marblehead High School and Phillips Academy (a prep school in Andover, Massachusetts) where he graduated. He was also a varsity baseball player for two years while attending Phillips Academy. While he excelled at sports, he received the school's Yale Bowl and the Boston Bruins' John Carlton Memorial Trophy, both for achievement in scholarship and athletics. While enrolled at Boston College, Cory majored in finance in the institution's Carroll School of Management. He continued to be recognized for academic achievement, being named to two Hockey East All-Academic Teams and earning Paul Patrick Daley Student-Athlete Scholarship in 2006. Cory is a member of his hometown Friends of Marblehead Hockey Hall of Fame. Inducted on August 18, 2008, he is the only born-and-raised native to be drafted into the NHL. Category:New Jersey Devils players Category:Vancouver Canucks players Category:Goaltenders Category:United states players Category:Swiss ice hockey players Category:Boston College Eagles players